Rains Will Pour Down
by Serena Thorn
Summary: Confessions come with news of a core Bombshell cast member's latest departure.


Title: Rains Will Pour Down  
Summary: Confessions come with news of a core Bombshell cast member's latest departure.  
Rating: PG-13  
Spoilers: 1x15  
Pairing/Characters: Karen/Michael, Derek, Ivy, mentions past Karen/Dev and past Michael/Julia  
Disclaimer: Smash is not owned by me, but by NBC. I'm simply borrowing these characters for non-profit entertainment.  
A/N: Prompt: Caught in the rain

* * *

"No, no!" Derek called out when Michael moved ever so slightly out of step with Karen. "Do it again, but this time do it _correctly._"

Part of Karen was almost relieved that for once Derek wasn't yelling at her, but Michael clearly wasn't amused. She couldn't blame him. These past few weeks of rehearsals had been almost as bad as Tech had been; particularly as they were readying for Broadway. They just couldn't quite seem to get the run-through of a few of the numbers exactly right in Derek's opinion today. Karen actually couldn't figure out which of their faults it really was, but Derek had sure seemed intent on blaming Michael so far.

"Just fifty more times," Karen told him with a half-sarcastic, half-sympathetic smile as she moved back into place against Michael.

He scoffed as he curled his arms back around her middle for them to begin again. "Thanks."

"Excuse me, is this boring you?" Derek asked them, wondering why in the world they felt it necessary to speak instead of getting back to work. They were nowhere near done for the day and if there was ever a time for them to focus, it was now.

Neither replied, but Karen let her fingertips stroke the back of Michael's arm in the best comforting gesture she could manage for the moment, particularly as their backs were to Derek and Tom and the others in the ensemble seemed to be making sure they were on their marks so as not to further upset Derek themselves. In response, Michael held her just a little closer and enjoyed the smile he received for the action. Just like that it was almost too easy for them to get right back to "Mr. and Mrs. Smith."

Of course they both should have realized that things couldn't continue to go so smoothly with Derek's ever critical eye on them. Just as soon as they were set to begin rehearsing the next number again, they both just missed their mark.

"Please!" Derek cried out. "You've both done this a hundred times now, our next preview is in a week! And, Michael, just on the off chance I even need to make you aware of this, just because you won't be here in said week for that next preview is no excuse to not get it right for those who will be!"

That got Karen's attention, and she looked right to Michael. In return Michael only sighed as he dropped his gaze from hers and looked to Derek. This was just about the last way he had hoped for Karen to find out. Particularly from the stares they both seemed to be getting from the ensemble as well.

"You're leaving the show? Again?" she asked him. And here she had thought they had become the sort of friends who told each other these things. If nothing else he was her leading man, for the moment anyway, how couldn't he have told her?

That time Derek sighed. Wonderful. Now this was going to hold up their day even more.

"I didn't mean for you to find out like this," he told her.

"Why? Why are you quitting?" She knew he had been fired the last time, though she still wasn't completely sure why. Rumors had flown about it because of Julia, but she hadn't actually heard it from him so she chose to remain a little skeptical.

"Clearly because he chose to. Can we please get on with this?" Ivy asked them.

"Indeed. Can we? This is costing us all time which we do not have." Derek added.

Glancing to Derek and then to Michael, Karen asked, "Why bother? Why not just wait for the new guy?" With that she headed down from the stage and quickly out through the theater's back door even as she heard Ivy make some comment about her running away again and Derek calling after her. She didn't care about Ivy's remarks, or what any of the others were thinking or saying behind her back this time. She needed air. She needed to think. Her only relief seemed then to be coming from the ominous sky above, almost enjoying that the clouds looked as angry as she felt. Michael had been the one person of the show who, at least once she became Marilyn, hadn't gone back and forth between being on Ivy's side or hers. In fact it hadn't seemed he had chosen sides at all. He had been nice to her, he had become her friend, and they had gotten fairly close over these past few weeks. Or so she had thought.

Maybe they didn't sit around talking about their recent relationship failures, but they had talked a lot about their shared love of music and theater, and even their shared love of a few of the local diners when rehearsals ran much later than expected and she hadn't wanted to go home to her roommate and he hadn't been in a rush to get to the otherwise empty apartment he had rented. She had come to really like him and his company, even those few minutes ago had proven that she supposed. She had gotten over a lot of her shyness with him, he had made it easy for her. And now she was going to have to get used to someone else? Someone who might not have his same easy going attitude? Someone who might not be as patient with her? Someone who hadn't found little, almost undetectable ways to comfort her when Derek yelled at her?

"Karen!" Derek called after her again, but she only ignored him. Maybe some of Ivy's personality had begun to rub off on her yet. Sighing as the door swung shut behind her, he looked back to Michael. "Get her back here and finish this."

He really didn't want to, not right then. Had he not already been pushed away enough? But then he knew he would have a better chance of getting her to come back than Derek would this time. And really it almost seemed better than continuing to stand there with the others staring at him as they clearly got whatever scenario playing in their minds about what had caused Karen's outburst. Coupled with the other rumors he was now sure had been swirling about him, he decided taking his chances with Karen might not be so bad. At least if he was lucky, if she were to hit him at all, she wouldn't hit him as hard as Julia's husband had.

Karen wasn't surprised when she heard the heavy door close while she was still attempting to collect herself. She knew Derek would send someone after her, and would likely be even angrier at having to do so. But she hadn't expected it be Michael standing there. "Why didn't you tell me?" was all she could ask. She didn't know why it hurt, she knew it shouldn't have at all. This was how things worked, actors came and went. Him, Rebecca... even Ivy had proven that. Hell, she had even almost proved that right before the first preview. So why was his (now) second departure getting to her like this?

"I was going to. I was just waiting for the right time, and hopefully for it to be over a drink. Derek just beat me to it. Payback for messing up, maybe."

"Why? Why now? Did you get a better offer? Or are you just quitting before they fire you again?"

"It just seems like the best solution for everyone." Things had been awkward enough with Julia, and with everything else that had happened he knew the best way to get past it would be to leave as much of it as he could behind. Quitting the show seemed the right place to start. It certainly wasn't as though he didn't have other offers, he would have almost no trouble at all attempting to bury himself in a new project.

"Everyone?" she asked him, her question barely audible over the first low rumble of thunder.

Michael sighed again, glancing to the sky. He really hoped he could convince her to head back inside before the rain started. "I didn't expect you to be angry about this, or even upset. Sometimes this is just how things go. I'm not entirely happy about it either given the reasons for it, but it's what I have to do. Even so, you'll get used to the other guy too after a while. Before you know it it might even be like I was never here."

"I wouldn't bet on it," she scoffed, glancing away.

He doubted she had meant for him to, but at hearing that he couldn't help from smiling slightly. Maybe all of those times she leaned into his touch or relaxed completely in his arms or even how she would kiss him when they were performing or how she would jump at the chance to hang out with him as she could away from the studio or theater hadn't been in his head after all. Maybe there really was more to it for her. It would certainly explain why she was so upset at the prospect of him quitting, he decided. Finally he decided to go with that train of thought and told her, "Karen, I'm leaving the show, not you. This is doesn't have to end just because I'm not the one you'll be seeing every day. I'll be across town, not across the country. But even if I were across the country or even halfway around the world, there are still so many ways we'd be able to keep in touch. I'd hope you wouldn't let me get rid of you that easily."

That Michael Swift charm... part of her wanted to hit him for it right then. But instead she told him, "You still could have warned me. Or at the very least you could have kept me from having to hear it from Derek and in front of everyone like that."

"I should have, you're right, and I'm sorry. I guess I just didn't think it'd matter so much to you." He took a deep breath with the next, louder, rumble of thunder, partly in relief that she hadn't slapped him or shoved him or even implied that she hated him as he had originally feared. "Do you think you're ready to head back inside now? Before we get drenched? Or incur Derek's wrath all over again?"

"Not yet," Karen told him with a shake of her head as she moved close. After everything with Dev she hadn't wanted to let herself feel anything, really. But clearly it hadn't been up to her as her time with Michael had begun to affect her in ways she hadn't expected. And now here they were. She guessed she was as ready as she would ever be for the next move she was about to make. He was leaving soon anyway. What difference would it make after that? "There's one more thing I want first. Kind of my way of proving just how much that news matters to me."

Michael watched as she fully closed the gap between them, but let his eyes slide closed in the instant he felt her soft, warm lips brush against his own. He couldn't claim he had fully expected this, but he wasn't entirely surprised either; and he wouldn't push her away. He supposed that was as good of a time as any to prove to her this wasn't as one-sided as she had potentially feared. In fact he was soon curling his arms around her, holding her slender body to him as she deepened the kiss. Here they weren't Joe and Marilyn, they weren't doing this for show or for any audience. They were themselves, two people still recovering from recent heartbreaks who had found a sense of solace with one another.

The thunder roared above once more but even that hadn't been enough to distract Karen. Kissing Michael in rehearsal or even in the first real preview had been one thing, this was already better. Even a moment later when the clouds finally released, the rain pouring around them, she only laced her arms around his neck and slanted her mouth against his, enjoying that in her heels they were nearly the same height.

Only when oxygen was becoming a necessity did they finally break their kiss, both beginning to laugh slightly when they took half a step back and saw their hair, skin, and clothes told the tale of of just how much it had begun to rain.

"So much for not getting drenched," Michael chuckled.

Karen laughed even harder for a good few seconds. Derek was going to be even more furious than usual. Of course the memory of what had started this sobered her mind once more. "Even if you're not across the country or world, I'm still going to miss you."

Michael only smiled as he let his hands push her hair back over her shoulders. "Maybe we should make it a point to get together a few times a week, after work of course. Just so you don't forget me when you start working with whoever the new guy is."

"I like the sound of that," she smiled back, enjoying he suddenly couldn't seem to completely keep his hands off of her, even if for the moment he was just stroking her hair.

"Let's get back inside then. Wouldn't want to have to call our first real dinner together on account of pneumonia."

With another laugh, Karen nodded in agreement as they jogged back to the theater's door.

"Think anyone will take pity on us and get us fluffy bathrobes?" Michael asked as they headed through the door, choosing to ignore any stares they might be receiving as they started back up the aisle.

"Maybe you should let this be a lesson the next time you let Derek spring a surprise like that on me."

"I just might." He wasn't kidding either, despite his half-smile. He was sure there would be questions now, maybe a few knowing stares from Julia and Tom, maybe even Derek. But it wouldn't matter soon. If he wasn't part of it anymore no one would likely have to worry about it effecting the show. Maybe it really was for the best he was leaving, even if that look in Karen's eyes at the news had pained him more than he had anticipated. Still, he supposed he had just managed to make it at least partially up to her and he found he was actually quite looking forward to properly making it up to her.

"Good, you're back. And now that it appears you have cooled off do you suppose we can get back to work once you're dry so we don't risk losing even more time on account of our lead getting sick?" Derek asked them, unsure if he even cared how they looked.

"Five minutes," Michael told him as he glanced back to Karen, deciding they would each have to rely on the restrooms' paper towels or automatic hand dryers, but it was certainly better than nothing.

In the ladies' room, Karen almost hoped the sound of a pair of hand dryers, one aimed at the back of her head and another at her middle, would drown out her thoughts. But they couldn't. Her mind continued to loop the memory of the past fifteen minutes over and over. She had made a scene almost worthy of Ivy in front of nearly everyone and all because of something she felt Michael had told her. And then, never having expected to, she had finally admitted to Michael how she felt about him. And then there had been their kiss, their first real kiss... The very memory of it sent another wave of desire through her. But that was almost nothing compared to the fact the feeling seemed to be mutual. He hadn't only kissed her back but it had been his idea for them to still see each other even after his leaving was official.

For Michael, as he tossed the paper towels he'd used to dry his hair and skin, he couldn't claim anything about this day had gone the way he had imagined it would. While he had hoped that this might have been the day he would finally take Karen for that beer and tell her he had quit, he hadn't expected it really would be. But then he hadn't expected Derek to blurt it out like he had either, and he definitely hadn't expected that reaction from Karen. In fact he hadn't expected that reaction from anyone. He knew Julia and Tom would be relieved to have him gone, and while Derek wasn't happy about it, he had handled it well enough in his opinion. Karen though... he still couldn't believe it. He had seen it in her eyes and felt it in her kiss, she had been serious.

He decided then maybe something good had come out of this ordeal after all. He supposed it only figured that it would be with the very girl he had barely noticed in the beginning. Of course there was a sense of worry that he might screw this up too, especially if Karen hadn't completely dealt with her feelings over her ex having cheated on her and given his track record clearly having taken a pretty steep nosedive in such a short time. But he couldn't help but be a little hopeful. With the show about to be behind him, and Karen clearly willing to take this next step with him, maybe things would begin to look up after all. He chose to believe he had his answer when he finally stepped back out into the hall to find Karen waiting for him.

"Since Derek sent you to get me I thought you might appreciate the opportunity to show him you did your job," she told him with a smile.

Michael laughed. "I appreciate that."

Even if they had been nearly ten minutes later than Michael had claimed they would be, they were still clearly amused by having been caught, even briefly, in the storm and soon Derek had his own reason to celebrate. He couldn't know exactly what had gotten Karen and Michael back on their game, and he didn't entirely care. He was just relieved that this day might not be a complete waste after all.

The End


End file.
